Find out how popular the last name Weems is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Weems.

Weems, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Weems surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Weems in America

Weems is the 3494th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Weems surname appeared 10,231 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Weems.

We can also compare 2010 data for Weems to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Weems

The surname Weems originates from Scotland, where it first appeared in the 13th century as a habitational name for someone from a place called Weems or Wemyss, near the town of West Wemyss in Fife. The name is derived from the Gaelic uamh, meaning "cave" or "den."

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Weems is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists those who swore fealty to King Edward I of England following his conquest of Scotland. One of the names mentioned is Michael de Wymes, a landowner from Fife.

Another early record of the Weems surname is in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1328, where a John de Wemys is noted as receiving payment for services rendered to the crown. Additionally, the name appears in the Brus manuscript from the 14th century, an early Scottish chronicle of the Wars of Scottish Independence.

In the 15th century, Sir John Wemyss of Wemyss (c. 1390-1459) was a prominent Scottish nobleman who served as a diplomat and ambassador for King James I and King James II. He was also a member of the Privy Council and played a key role in the negotiations for the release of King James I from English captivity.

Another notable figure with the Weems surname was John Weemes (c. 1579-1636), a Scottish minister and theologian who served as the minister of Hutton and Dalkeith. He was a prolific writer and published several works on religious topics, including "The Christian Synagogue" and "An Exposition of the Morall Lavve."

In the 17th century, Sir James Wemyss (1610-1677) was a Scottish nobleman and military commander who fought for the Royalist cause during the English Civil War. He was appointed Governor of Newcastle upon Tyne and later served as a member of the Privy Council of Scotland under King Charles II.

The Weems surname has also been associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Wemyss Castle and Wemyss Bay, both located in Fife. The name has also been spelled in various ways over the centuries, including Wemyss, Weymss, and Wymes.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Weems

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Weems.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Weems was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Weems has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Weems was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Weems, please contact us.

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